The Difference Engine

Have just completed a series of Live Lit sessions with the inspiring Mark Hewitt. It’s returned me, with lots of bright new ideas, to my work on Charles Babbage – the 19th century scientist behind the world’s first mechanised calculating machine, forerunner to the computer, which was never actually built in his lifetime but now has pride of place in the Science Museum’s Computing display. It’s another of those instances of a moment in time from the past shaping our lives today – in so many ways. And at the heart of the story are two fascinating women, Georgiana Babbage and Ada Lovelace. Two very different characters who have a hand in the creation of this amazing piece of mechanical history. Now, there’s a story to be told… watch this space.